La Rosière for families: a practical guide, from Les Eucherts to Italy

La Rosière sits on a balcony above the valley. From the pistes, your eye runs straight across to the Mont Pourri glacier on the far side, and at the end of the ski area your skis cross the border to La Thuile, in Italy. Les Eucherts, the family quarter, stretches out away from the centre, between the ice rink, the snow front and the forest. Here is everything you need to know for an easy week there with children: arriving, shopping, parking, getting around, skiing, eating and filling the days off the slopes. Every useful address comes with a directions link for Google Maps or Waze.

Getting there: everything goes through Bourg-Saint-Maurice

In winter the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard road is closed, so the only way up to La Rosière is from Bourg-Saint-Maurice, on the RD1090, a drive of about twenty kilometres. From 1 November to 31 March, cars must have four winter tyres or carry chains in the boot: that is the rule in the mountains, and the climb does not forgive anyone who forgets.

By train, Bourg-Saint-Maurice station is the end of the line for direct TGVs from Paris, from the late-November weekends and then through the season, for OUIGO trains from 17 December to 29 March, for the Eurostar snow train from London and Brussels, and for a Friday night train. From the station, the S80 bus runs up in winter to La Rosière centre and to the “La Rosière Les Eucherts” stop, taking about an hour depending on the weather, with departures timed to meet the trains. Its winter timetable has not yet been published and tickets are not yet on sale: check both before you book. Ski boots may not be worn on board, so pack them in a bag. Taxis also make the trip if booked ahead. If you are coming from Geneva or Lyon, shuttle buses run to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, but their connections with the resort bus are not guaranteed: leave yourself some slack. Our guide to getting to Val d’Isère covers the winter trains to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which is the same station.

The trick: shop in the valley before you drive up

Up in the resort the choice is limited: a single Sherpa in Les Eucherts, a Carrefour Montagne in the centre and a few shops selling local produce. The smart move is to stock up in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, where there is far more choice, and drive up with a boot full enough for the week.

• Lidl, 377 avenue du Maréchal-Leclerc, a few minutes from the station: Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 7.30pm, and Sunday morning 8.30am to 12.15pm. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Super U, route des Arcs, with a drive-through click-and-collect service, so you can order online and pick up your shopping on the way: Monday to Saturday 8.30am to 7.30pm, with click-and-collect until 7pm on Saturdays. The shop and the click-and-collect are closed on 25 December and 1 January, worth remembering if you arrive over the festive season. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• La Coopérative laitière de Haute Tarentaise, opposite the station, for beaufort and local produce: Monday to Saturday 8am to 7pm, Sunday 9am to 6pm. A free visitor area explains how the cheese is made. Directions: Google Maps or Waze

These are the hours the shops publish at present; on a holiday Saturday, you are better off going early. If you arrive by train, the Lidl, close to the station, lets you fill a bag before you catch the bus.

In the resort: Sherpa, bakeries and cheese shops

In Les Eucherts, the Sherpa opens every day from 2 December 2026 to 17 April 2027, 7.30am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 8pm. You will find bread and pastries from opening time, fruit and vegetables, regional produce and roast chickens, and it lends out raclette and fondue sets; it also sells snow chains. This shop offers no online ordering or delivery.

• Sherpa, Les Eucherts shopping centre, at L’Averne. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Aux Délices Fermiers, place des Eucherts: cheeses and meats from its own farm. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Boulangerie Ledemé, place des Eucherts, next to the bowling alley. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Carrefour Montagne, in the centre, opposite the tourist office: it reopens around 20 November and, if you order 24 hours ahead, prepares raclette or fondue packs to take away. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Coopérative laitière, in the centre, opposite the tourist office: beaufort and regional produce. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Chez Robert, butcher and delicatessen, in the centre: free-range roast chickens, to order before 10am for lunch or before 4pm for the evening. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• La Montagne des Saveurs, in the centre: Savoyard dishes to take away. Directions: Google Maps or Waze

Apart from the Sherpa, these shops have not yet published their winter hours: check when you get there.

Parking in La Rosière

For a week’s stay, the first thing to do is ask your accommodation whether it has a space, then leave the car where it is: everything else can be done on foot or by shuttle bus. Otherwise, you have three options.

• The Les Eucherts covered car park, beneath the ice rink, place des Eucherts: a paid underground car park, with disabled spaces, right in the heart of the quarter. Neither its number of spaces, nor its height limit, nor any booking system has been published: check with the tourist office before you rely on it. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• The free car park at the resort entrance, 69 route du Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, near the rail toboggan: this is the one the tourist office recommends for stays of several days. Be aware that its top section, the upper car park, is off limits from 2am to 7.30am in winter: for several nights, aim for the lower car park and follow the signs on site. From the “Entrée Station, Luge” stop, the free line 4 shuttle bus reaches place des Eucherts in two minutes. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• The Écudets car park, below the resort on the road to Séez: free and limited to 48 hours, it connects to the ski area by the Écudets chairlift, not by shuttle bus. It is the right way in for friends or family coming up to ski for the day. Directions: Google Maps or Waze

In the centre there is no covered car park open to the public: the covered pistes car park is let to businesses only, and the open-air pistes car park is paid in season. Throughout the resort, a few rules will spare you a fine or a trip to the pound. Blue zones limit parking to two hours, from 9am to 5pm, with a parking disc. Paid zones apply from 7.30am to 5pm, with the first fifteen minutes free. From 2am to 7.30am in winter, parking is banned in several places, including the pistes car park, the upper car park at the resort entrance and along the Les Eucherts snow front. After a snowfall, move the car to a cleared space; lockers outside the tourist office lend out shovels and scrapers free of charge, day and night. There is a charging point in the pistes car park, in the centre, and another is promised for Les Eucherts this winter.

Shuttle buses: how they work

The resort shuttle buses are free, take pushchairs and ski gear, and are wheelchair accessible on line 4 and the evening shuttle. This winter’s timetables for Les Eucherts are as follows:

• Line 4, Monday to Sunday: a bus every thirty minutes from the La Forêt campsite and place des Eucherts to the centre and the snow front, from around 8.48am leaving Les Eucherts to a last return at about 6.30pm. It takes four minutes from place des Eucherts to the tourist office.
• The evening shuttle, Monday to Thursday: every thirty minutes between place des Eucherts and the centre, from around 7.10pm to a last return to Les Eucherts at about 10.40pm.
• Ski bus lines 1 to 3, daily, serve the square and the village of Les Eucherts, Le Gollet, the centre and the Maison du Ski. This winter’s timetables have not yet been published; last winter, each line ran roughly every half hour, with a first departure between 8.15am and 9am and a last between 6pm and 7.30pm, depending on the line.

The detailed timetables are on the transport page of the Montvalezan town hall website. On foot, a path runs through the forest between Les Eucherts and the centre, just under a kilometre long, groomed in winter and lit at night: a quarter of an hour is enough.

The skiing guide

The Espace San Bernardo links La Rosière with La Thuile, on the Italian side: 156km of pistes from 1176m to 2800m, almost half of them green and blue. On the French side, the ski area divides into three sectors: La Rosière, above the resort and Les Eucherts, the Fort, around the Fort de la Redoute, and Mont-Valaisan, the highest, which tops out at 2800m.

From Les Eucherts, you reach the pistes on the Eucherts chairlift, which climbs to 2190m, on the Dahu chairlift, included in the beginners’ lift pass, or on the free Lutins conveyor for first steps. The Petit-Bois chairlift, which comes up from Le Vaz to Les Eucherts, is being replaced with a new one this winter. To get home, several blue runs, including the Gelinotte, the Papillon and the Marmottons, bring you back to the bottom of the quarter. The Les Eucherts lift pass office is open Sunday to Friday from 8.45am to 4pm, and until 7pm on Saturdays.

For children and beginners, the lift company recommends the Petit-Saint-Bernard trail, a green run across the plain and through the forest, reached by the Lièvre Blanc drag lifts and included in the beginners’ lift pass, then the Funcross, a playful blue over 1000m long, and the Family Park, with its three courses, green, blue and red, on the Poletta drag lift. At the top of the Lièvre Blanc drag lifts, a picnic area open to everyone awaits families, with tables, deckchairs and an electric plancha. The Lutins conveyor and the Manessier drag lift are free, and a beginners’ lift pass gives access to five lifts for three hours.

For strong skiers, the Mont-Valaisan sector lines up red runs and an ungroomed but marked and secured black, the Freeride, with a gradient of up to 74%. Off-piste, very tempting in this valley, is only to be skied with a guide or an instructor.

In Italy, everyone must carry an identity card and third-party liability insurance, and helmets are compulsory for all skiers. This winter’s last return times have not been published yet; last winter, you were best leaving La Thuile at around 2.45pm or 3pm, depending on the time of season. Don’t linger: running late means paying repatriation costs.

To see which pistes are open and check the webcams, or to alert the rescue services and send them your location, the official Espace San Bernardo app is free on iOS and Android, and it also sells lift passes. Non-skiers are not left out: the Roches Noires and then the Fort chairlifts take them up to the Panoramic Experience, a suspended footbridge at over 2300m.

Ski lessons and childcare

In Les Eucherts, the ESF, the French ski school, has its office at 485 rue des Eucherts, on the square, with its snow garden for 3 to 7-year-olds and its kids’ club; the mountain guides’ office sells its winter outings at the same desk. The OriginAlps school meets on place des Eucherts for private lessons, from age 5, intermediate to expert level. In the centre, Evolution 2 takes children from age 3 in its Village Yeti. For a child with a disability, the ESF and Oxyski run adaptive skiing, to be arranged before your stay. Book lessons ahead: ESF bookings for this winter are open. To compare with other resorts, see our guide to family ski resorts.

The ESF’s Galopins club takes children aged 3 to 12, in the centre and in Les Eucherts, from 13 December to 16 April, 9am to 5pm. It is closed on Saturdays, and outside the school holidays it only opens from 11.45am: book before you come, as places are limited. The ESF is not licensed to look after under-3s; for them, the tourist office lists a qualified nursery nurse who cares for children in your own accommodation, from 3 months.

Days off the slopes, and late afternoons

In Les Eucherts

• Covered ice rink, place des Eucherts: 360m² of ice, from 13 December to 16 April, 3pm to 7.30pm except Saturdays, with double-bladed skates for the youngest. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Bowling and arcade, on the square: six bowling lanes, billiards, air hockey and pinball for grey days.
• Snake Gliss and Yooner, on the Les Eucherts snow front, daily from 4.30pm to 5.30pm with the ESF, once the pistes close: a guided train of sledges from age 8, a low-slung sledge from age 10, helmet and lift pass compulsory.
• Sledging area, free and open to all, above the Lutins conveyor.
• Snowshoeing and walks: the Panoramic Mont Blanc and Bout de la Route routes start from the village of Les Eucherts.

In the centre and beyond

• Rail toboggan, at the resort entrance: 700m through the forest, from age 2, with an adult compulsory for anyone under 1.25m.
• Paret run, on the traditional wooden sledge, with Evolution 2, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4.30pm to 5.30pm, from age 10.
• Evolution 2’s Winter Camp: afternoons for children, some from age 3, with snow Olympics, a meeting with the sled dogs, little trappers and igloo building.
• Guided snowshoeing: with Evolution 2, tracking animals or at sunrise from age 8, by torchlight from age 6; with the ESF and the guides’ office, discovery outings, night outings or outings with fondue.
• Laser biathlon, for children from age 6 on Sundays with Evolution 2, or on snowshoes from age 7 with the ESF and the guides’ office.
• Écureuils sledging area, free, near the Galopins club.
• Cinema: the Espace culturel Le Ruitor, in the centre, with two screenings a day on weekdays.
• For older children: paintball and laser tag in the forest from age 12.
• Wellbeing: several hotel spas in the resort welcome non-residents, by the hour or the day, on reservation.

There are no sled dogs in the resort itself: rides take place in Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, half an hour’s drive away. At Christmas, the forest path becomes an illuminated trail at nightfall, lined with a Christmas market; its dates will be published soon.

Where to eat

The list below is a selection of the restaurants published by the tourist office. As of 9 October 2026, only Alpagio and Le Solario had published their winter dates; for the others, check opening days locally, and book for dinner during the holidays.

In Les Eucherts

• Alpagio: inspired French cooking, in the evening, on place des Eucherts at the foot of the pistes.
• Le Solario: dish of the day, burgers, pizzas and vegetarian dishes, at lunchtime and for après-ski, ski-in ski-out.
• Le Flocon: brasserie at lunchtime, traditional menu in the evening, above the ice rink.
• L’Accroche Cœur: comforting food inspired by grandmothers’ recipes, rue de l’Averne.
• L’Ancolie: home-made dishes and Savoyard specialities, lunch and dinner.
• Le Bonami: local, organic cooking, with vegan dishes.
• Le Mazot: fondues, raclettes and tartiflettes, evenings only.
• Bistro Bichon: Savoyard dishes, pizzas and burgers, to eat in or take away, lunch and dinner.
• Aux 3 Ours: tea room and crêperie next to the ice rink, which also serves breakfast in winter.

In the centre

• Le Genépi: traditional home cooking, opposite the tourist office, where the forest path begins.
• Le Terroir des Vignobles: restaurant and wine bar; often full on Thursday and Friday evenings, so book early in the week.
• L’Atelier des Loups: Savoyard specialities and local produce.
• Le Boréal: Savoyard specialities, open from early in the morning.
• Le Bistr’Haut 1850: mountain bistro with a panoramic terrace.
• Snack Bar du Relais: on the snow front opposite the Maison du Ski, ski-in ski-out, with small portions for children and home-made crêpes.

On the pistes

• L’Antigel: traditional restaurant at 2000m, at the foot of the slalom stadium, with table service, and its snack bar, Le Dégel Club.
• Paradis: mountain bistro at 2000m, at the top of the Lièvre Blanc drag lift, with high chairs and a children’s menu.
• La Traversette: self-service at the foot of the Fort chairlift, on the way back from Mont-Valaisan.
• Tout Poudre: a home-cooking canteen at Plan de l’Arc, reachable on foot or on skis, with a fondue night on Thursdays.

Winter 2026-2027 events

• Every Monday: torchlit descent and ESF instructors’ show on the snow front in the centre.
• Wednesday evenings: ice hockey matches at the Les Eucherts ice rink, almost every week.
• 12 December: the season’s Grand Opening, with a concert on the snow front in the centre.
• 31 December: New Year’s Eve on place des Eucherts, with fireworks at around 11pm, to be confirmed.
• 29 January: the Trail Blanc, starting from the Les Eucherts snow front, from age 14.
• 8 to 11 April: the White West Festival, with its western village on place des Eucherts, its horses and its country dance.

The Christmas, February and end-of-season programmes will be published soon.

Health and useful numbers

• Medical practice, in the centre: walk-in consultations and X-rays, on site only, with no home visits. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Pharmacy: just one, in the centre, opposite the tourist office; there is none in Les Eucherts. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Bourg-Saint-Maurice hospital: emergency department open day and night; in a life-threatening emergency, dial 15, or 112. Directions: Google Maps or Waze
• Piste rescue: +33 (0)4 79 40 12 02 during the day; the number is also printed on lift passes.
• Tourist office, in the centre, 705 route du Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, with the post office counter open Monday to Friday mornings; telephone +33 (0)4 79 06 80 51. The resort map shows a cash machine in the centre and another in Les Eucherts; even so, bring some cash. Directions: Google Maps or Waze

AEC tip. Arrive on the Saturday with a full boot, ski lessons and kids’ club already booked, and identity cards for the whole family in your jacket pocket: in La Rosière, the week is made on the very first evening.

Where to stay

All our chalets and apartments in the resort are gathered in our La Rosière rentals. To plan your week, see also our guide to family ski holidays, our guide to ski resort opening dates and, for the festive season, our guide to New Year on the slopes.

The simplest thing is to write to us: tell us your dates and who is coming, and our agents will suggest a selection of chalets and apartments in La Rosière.

And in the evening, on the forest path, the street lamps light your way back to the chalet.

Frequently asked questions